MMMB Patient Rooftop Terrace

Healing With a View: A Rooftop Respite for Cancer Care

Founded in 1898 as the nation’s first cancer center, Roswell Park set the standard for today’s multidisciplinary approach to the highest quality cancer care. Whether you are a patient or a visitor, from the moment you arrive Roswell Park aims to make your experience as its guest as comfortable as possible through a wide range of hospitality amenities – the latest of which includes a new 3,000 sq. ft. rooftop terrace and garden on the Main Hospital building.

A healthy dose of fresh air and sunshine has long been prescribed as a cure for many ailments. Rooftop healing gardens have the benefits of being private – access is controlled through the hospital – and have the potential for expansive views. Moreover, the benefits of access to such gardens can be enormous for patients, their families, and the facility’s staff.

The LaBella team worked with Roswell Park’s in-house architect to create an aesthetically pleasing, therapeutic, and functional space. The vision for the rooftop terrace, which is made comfortable, memorable, and reflective via its design and amenities, is that guests will have access to this respite between clinical appointments.

Many sustainable and custom details were integrated into the rooftop terrace design, including planters, pavers, a sculptural bench, and a word wall, which was conceptualized by Roswell Park’s in-house architect and displays the center’s overall message to the patients, families, and community it serves. Words like “support”, “peace”, and “healing” adorn a space designed to bring about just that.

The project also extended into the hospital itself as the design team worked to establish a second means of egress from the roof with minimal impact to the surrounding, occupied clinical spaces.

Services Provided By LaBella

Architectural Design

The new 3,000 SF roof terrace and garden on the Roswell Park Main Hospital building offers a patient-centered experience that is made comfortable, memorable, and reflective by the custom design details and amenities.

The design team worked to create an aesthetically pleasing, therapeutic, and functional space that guests will have access to between clinical appointments.

MEP Engineering

Many hospital roofs host a myriad of mechanical equipment which produce enough noise to negate the serene atmosphere of a garden and pose design challenges. The project’s engineers worked to relocate existing mechanical equipment, but roof loading remained a challenge. Materials were carefully selected to meet allowable loads and withstand harsh Buffalo winters. In addition, special lightweight engineered soils were used for the types of plantings desired, which included small trees.

BEFORE: Many healthcare campuses turn to the roof when looking to offer healing amenities for patients, their families, and the facility’s staff.

AFTER: The new 3,000 sq. ft roof terrace and garden on the Roswell Park Main Hospital building offers expansive views and overlooks downtown Buffalo and the waterfront.

An Award-Winning Project

LaBella’s work on the MMMB Patient Rooftop Terrace for Roswell Park received double recognition in 2018!

At the 9th annual Healthcare Design Remodel/Renovation Competition, the project received the Gold Award in the Single Spaces category from Healthcare Design magazine, the premier source for design trends in healthcare.

The rooftop terrace and garden project also took home a Merit Award in the Institutional Category at the 2018 AIA Buffalo/WNY Architecture Awards the same month.